How to Overcome Writing Apprehension

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The clock is ticking away. Your paper is due at the end of class, by 5 p.m. or in a week. It must be brilliant, pithy and insightful. The page is blank. You are sweating, praying, swearing, crying or eating to deal with the anxiety and still the page is blank. Whether it is episodic or chronic, there is no sure-fire method for curing writing apprehension. However, there are a few steps that may be taken that might help get you started.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Evaluate the quality of information you have available. Do you have too little information? If so, stop and conduct more research. Do you have too much information? Stop and write an outline. Consider narrowing your focus. Is it because you don’t understand the purpose of the assignment? Stop and ask the instructor for clarification.

Step2

Evaluate your own learning style. A brief personality inventory device can give you clues to determine the most effective strategy for overcoming writer’s block. Whether you are introverted or extroverted matters. Whether you prefer facts or ideas matters. Whether you like to plan or “wing it” matters. Work first with your preferred approach and fine tune afterward. Find the strategy that best matches your personality type.

Step3

Recruit a friend. Working in a dyad works for some; working in a group works better for others. The idea is to talk about your writing to help crystallize the ideas swimming around in your brain. If no one is available, talk to yourself. Picture yourself explaining your topic to another person. Imagine someone just asked you with rapt interest, “Hey, what’s that you’re writing there?” Sometimes it’s far easier to explain to another human being, even an imaginary one, than to deal with that cruelest of mockers: the blank page.

Step4

Free write. If the page is still blank and nothing is coming, try writing whatever is on your mind, even if it’s irrelevant. Write about your dog, your nausea, your childhood or any other topic that comes easily to you. Do not worry about grammar or punctuation. The point is to uncork the bottle. Eventually try to relate this material to your topic. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be on paper.